HARTFORD >> One of the three men believed to have been related to the accidental fatal overdose of a 22-year-old Woodbridge man in November was sentenced Wednesday to two years of probation and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine in federal court.

Wade Pettingill, 24, of Middlebury, pleaded guilty to one a misdemeanor offense of heroin possession in August in relation to this case. The misdemeanor carries a potential maximum sentence of one year in prison and five years of probation. Pettingill was also potentially subject to a $100,000 fine for the offense.

According to the plea agreement in this case: “The government’s decision to allow the defendant to plead guilty to a misdemeanor and not to object to a sentence of probation is based on the unique circumstances of this case, which include the defendant’s post-arrest rehabilitation and his extraordinary efforts at drug rehabilitation.”

Miles and Foster have both pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of heroin, a felony charge, and both are scheduled to be sentenced next month.

The affidavit that was submitted in support of obtaining an arrest warrant against Pettingill in January documented several text message exchanges between Pettingill and the victim.

Upon his arrest, Pettingill allegedly told investigators he had been with the victim the night before he died and that the pair had met up with Foster to purchase 15 bags of heroin from one of Foster’s sources in Waterbury, according to prosecutors.

Pettingill then agreed to attempt to contact Foster to obtain the contact information for the source, known as “Rocky” in Waterbury, a memorandum submitted to the court prior to sentencing says. “Rocky” was later identified as Miles, the memorandum said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Spector argued to the court that Pettingill has done extensive work to get clean since his arrest, and the government did not seek a term of imprisonment for Pettingill in this case.

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